I recall as a young boy attending my Lutheran Sunday school class, learning Bible stories, such as: Noah’s Ark, Daniel in the Lion’s den, Jacob’s ladder and Abraham blessing Isaac. These stories were all in little bible story books with pictures that we could color. When my mother passed away twenty some years ago, one of my little books was in with a box of letters and pictures that Mother had saved. That box was the only thing that I really wanted from my mother’s belongings.
I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was twenty years old, while in the U S Army. I was converted through the example of a fellow soldier and by virtue of reading a Book of Mormon that he had given me. After joining the church and studying the doctrines of the church further, including the nature of God, I realized, that even as a little boy, I had always pictured, in my mind, God, as described by the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m sure that I was never taught or told about the Nicene or Athanasian Creeds and the Trinity doctrine of God as taught by most of the Christian churches. Those Creeds essentially taught that God has neither body, parts or passions and is incomprehensible.
If the truth were known, most Christians who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint are probably as I was and envision God as I did, one who matches the God described in Mormon doctrine and not the Trinitarian God. In the New Testament God is described thus: “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. For-as-much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.” (Acts 17:28-29)
By ‘man’s device’, perfectly describes the various Christian Creeds manufactured by fourth century councils. We were created in Gods Image (Genesis 1:26-27) there is no mystery to that description, for it means exactly what it says. In Genesis 5:3, Adam had a son he named Seth, ‘who was in his own likeness, after his image’. If God were to stand before us today we would see Him as a glorified man, whose brightness and glory would defy our ability to describe, but we would see Him as a man.
‘Man of Holiness’ is one of His names and ‘Son of Man’ describes the resurrected Christ. Have you ever considered that, as offspring, we may carry the Father’s genetic makeup and have much greater potential than we generally give ourselves credit for. We know we are precious to Him, as are each and every one of His offspring. In Alma 39:17; Alma informed his son, Corrianton, that the children during his time on earth were just as precious to God as children from any other generation. (Matt 5:38) “Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” That admonition by Christ, would never have been given if it, in fact, had no foundation of truth. It is most likely a progressive goal reached only as an eternal quest, and ‘perfect’, for us, is based on the parable of the talents. Our challenge is to increase and perfect the talents we were individually given. We are not in competition with the talents that the Father has. Knowing that, as spiritually begotten sons and daughters of God, we genetically have the spiritual potential to become like him. That knowledge should motivate us to always try our best to be like Him in every way that we can.
May God bless us to humbly know how important we all are to Him. Even those who have passed on without a knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, who must also learn of Him. May we all strive to live such as to be worthy of His presence one day. May we, who live, provide the vicarious work for those who have passed on.